South Carolina missed an opportunity with Galloway

South Carolina fans are probably familiar with Ramon Galloway, and after this weekend a good portion of the country probably is as well.

By MATT CONNOLLYmatthew.connolly@shj.com

South Carolina fans are probably familiar with Ramon Galloway, and after this weekend a good portion of the country probably is as well.La Salle's leading scorer, who put up 21, 19 and 24 points in wins against Boise State, Kansas State, and Ole Miss in the first three rounds of the NCAA tournament, is a big reason why the Explorers have made an improbable Sweet 16 run and will face Wichita State Thursday with a chance to advance to the Elite 8.It hasn't been long since Galloway was in Columbia, playing for then USC coach Darrin Horn and the Gamecocks.He showed potential during his time at USC and averaged just less than 11 points per game as a sophomore before transferring to La Salle.While nothing was ever made public, it was generally accepted that Horn encouraged Galloway and fellow guard Stephen Spinella to transfer in order to make room for incoming freshmen, including highly-rated shooting guard Damien Leonard.“As a staff we wish Ramon and Stephen the best in their futures, both as basketball players and young men,” Horn said in a statement at the time. “We're committed to helping both of them continue their basketball and academic careers. We appreciate what they brought to our program during their time at South Carolina.”Galloway said that, “At this time I'm going to transfer to another university. I'm looking for a different opportunity and role. I would like to thank Coach Horn and wish him and the program the best.”In his first season with La Salle, Galloway flourished, averaging 14 points per game and shooting better than 44 percent from 3-point range.He continued to improve this season as a senior and while South Carolina was struggling to a 12th-place finish in the SEC, he was leading his team to a third-place finish in the talent-rich Atlantic 10 and an NCAA tournament berth.Galloway's tale is a cautionary one of what can happen when coaches feel the pressure to win and make changes in order to try and do so.In Galloway's last season with USC in 2011, the Gamecocks went 14-16 and Horn's leash was obviously getting shorter and shorter.He made changes he felt were right but ultimately lost his job a year later after another disappointing season.While current USC coach Frank Martin is certainly nowhere near the hot seat after just his first season in Columbia, there's undoubtedly going to be turnover from this year's roster because of the number of scholarship offers USC has out and the fact that Martin doesn't have many of his own players in Columbia.Michael Carrera, Laimonas Chatkevicius and Mindaugas Kacinas made up Martin's first recruiting class and will likely remain a part of the team moving forward.Point guard and wide receiver Bruce Ellington will also have a spot on the team if he chooses to continue playing both sports next season.Martin will have to make a decision on which of the remaining players he'll encourage to stay with USC and which he'll suggest look elsewhere to continue their college basketball careers.It's important for the program that Martin make the correct choices so that Gamecock fans aren't watching another familiar face make a name for himself for a different school a year or two from now.

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